Adakitic rocks derived from the partial melting of subducted continental crust: Evidence from the Eocene volcanic rocks in the northern Qiangtang block

Eocene is a critical time for the elevation of Tibetan Plateau and global climate change, and previous studies suggested that the Eocene elevation was caused by intra-continental subduction of the Songpan–Garze block beneath the Qiangtang block. This paper reports zircon U–Pb age and geochemistry of the Eocene volcanic rocks from the Zuerkenwula mountain area in the northern part of Qiangtang block, and proposes that both slab break-off of the Neo-Tethys oceanic slab along the Bangong–Nujiang suture and intra-continental subduction of the Songpan–Garze block beneath the Qiangtang block caused the extensive partial melting of lithospheric mantle and subducted Songpan–Garze continental crust, which resulted in the significant elevation of the Tibetan Plateau. The volcanic rocks have LA-ICP MS U–Pb zircon age of 40.25 ± 0.15 Ma (MSWD = 2.1, 2σ), which is contemporaneous with the Eocene eclogites in the Great Himalayan and K-rich lavas in the southeastern Tibet. They display some adakitic characteristics with SiO2 = 57.44 to 68.72%, TiO2 = 0.38 to 0.81%, Na2O = 2.89 to 4.35%, K2O = 2.77 to 4.48%, Al2O3 = 13.92 to 18.22%, A/CNK = 0.69 to 1.03, MgO = 0.27 to 5.86% with Mg# ranging from 13.2 to 72.0, strongly depleted in heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) (Yb = 0.92 to 1.51 ppm and Y = 10.1 to 24.1 ppm), in combination with their positive Sr anomalies, high Sr/Y ratios and no significant Eu anomalies, which suggest a garnet-in and plagioclase-free source residue. These volcanic rocks can be divided into high-Mg# (> 45) and low-Mg# (< 45) groups. Both of the two groups share evolved Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions with 87Sr/86Sr = 0.707412–0.708284; εNd(t) = − 4.0 to − 5.7; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.7499–18.8189, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.7189–15.7384; 208Pb/204Pb = 39.166–39.262. The geophysical data and regional geological setting suggest that the low-Mg# adakitic rocks were derived from the decompression melting of a subducted lower continental crust, when low-Mg# adakitic melts in the overlying peridotite mantle wedge captured some olivine crystals, resulting in their elevated Mg# and MgO values.

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► Eocene adakitic volcanic rocks from the central Qiangtang block.
► The adakitic rocks can be divided into high-Mg# and low-Mg# group.
► Olivine xenocrysts in the high-Mg# samples suggesting interaction with peridotite.
► The Eocene adakitic rocks were derived from subducted continental crust.
► The combined action of slab break-off and continental subduction in the Qiangtang.